Promoting ethical decisions and behaviors is challenging for any organization. Yet managers are still required to make ethical decisions under conditions which deplete their self-control resources, such as high stress and long hours. This study examines the relationships among symbolic and internal moral identity, self-control, and ethical behavior, and investigates whether self-control acts as the mechanism through which moral identity leads to ethical behavior. Findings indicate that internal moral identity overrides symbolic moral identity in the relationship with self-control and that self-control fully mediates the relationship between internal moral identity and ethical behavior. The implications for organizations is that while rules, procedures, and ethics training are useful, managers with a strong moral compass will be more likely to practice self-control leading to more ethical behaviors.

DOI

10.1111/beer.12145

Citation Information

Rua, T., Lawter, L., Andreassi, J. (2017). Desire to be ethical or ability to self-control: Which is more crucial for ethical behavior? Business Ethics: A European Review 26(3), 288-299. doi:10.1111/beer.12145